Sangai No Jutsu
by sasuke fanatic1
Summary: Four teenaged boys appear out of nowhere. Who are they? How do they know Team 7 and everyone else? And why are they spitting images of Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji? SasuSaku, NaruHina, ShikaIno, NejiTen
1. Nani? Who are they?

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, ShikaIno, and NejiTen  
Rating: T  
I don't own Naruto! I do own the OCs and this plot!  
Summary: Four teenaged boys appear out of nowhere. Who are they? How do they know Team 7 and everyone else? And why are they spitting images of Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji?

"This is ridiculous," muttered a teenaged boy with midnight hair that spiked at the ends and dark black eyes. He stood among his three friends.

"It's going to work, you watch. It should take us there," stated one of his friends: the most obnoxious of them all. He had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

"I highly doubt that," said another teenager. He had his dark hair pulled into a ponytail and his black eyes showed his normal signs of boredom.

"This is a waste of my time," commented the last of the four. He had long black hair to his shoulders and white eyes.

"If you all thought this wouldn't work, why did you bother packing you backpacks?" the blonde asked with a smirk. There were no comments from his friends.

After doing the necessary hand seals the boys pressed their hands over one another's in a circle and they said, "Sangai no jutsu."

There was a gust of wind and they were gone.

* * *

Just for the record, those guys aren't whom you thinking Now, I bet you're wondering, where's everyone then? Well, here they are.

Now, the gang is now seventeen save Gai's team. Here's what happened to each:

Naruto: Well, what to say? He is the same old Naruto; loud and obnoxious. He long ago got over his crush for Sakura. He, with the assistance of the others of course, almost killed Orochimaru two years ago. He still has the dream to become the Hokage and is training hard to accomplish it. He's trailing behind everyone else though, since he had just become a Chuunin.

Sasuke: He is now back in Konoha, ever since Orochimaru's near death and Naruto dragged him back. He received probation and was put under major surveillance, but after a year, the village forgave him. Despite his actions, he's still admired by many girls. He has yet to accomplish any of his dreams and is vigorously training to kill Itachi, without the help of the Curse Mark. He has recently become a Jounin.

Sakura: She is still training under the fifth Hokage and has learned to hold her own. Her childish crush on Sasuke has seemed to develop into a sincere love, but Sasuke still does not acknowledge her. So, her dreams aren't yet true either. She is a Chuunin, preparing for the Jounin exams.

Hinata: Still timid and stutters. She has become stronger as well and has made the Hyuuga clan proud of her after long last. As for her crush on Naruto, yeah it's still there, but does the baka notice? No. She hopes he will soon. Hinata decided that she would stay Chuunin for now, and she was teaching Ninja Academy.

Shikamaru: Still a lazy Jounin, only now he's an ANBU. He was offered captain, but found it too troublesome. He was one of the lucky few in a relationship.

Ino: The one Shikamaru is in a relationship with. She long ago got over her crush on Sasuke; thus Sakura and her rebuilt their friendship. Ino still though will not lose to Sakura so she is also planning to take the Jounin exams.

Neji: He is a part of the ANBU team Shikamaru was on. He has forgiven the Main Hyuuga family and him and Hinata are on talking terms at long last. He is eighteen and what's this…engaged to TenTen!

TenTen: Speaking of the weapon's mistress, she is now a Jounin and is planning to become an ANBU like her fiancée.

Lee: Hmm…nothing's changed. Same hairdo, eyebrows, and outfit. Only now he is a Jounin.

Kakashi: Perverted, always late, married. Yep, Kakashi is married. To who, you ask? Well, we'll save that for later. But him and his wife have a two-year-old daughter.

Tsunade: Still the Hokage, and she still uses the youth genjutsu and gambles.

Chouji: Still always hungry, but even he is a Jounin.

That's about it for the main characters.

* * *

The Sakura festival was going on and everyone was engaged in the activities. Shikamaru and Ino had been separated through the crowd.

"Shika-kun, where are you?" Ino called. She looked through the forest of Cherry Blossom trees and found Shikamaru walking, and it looked like he was looking for something. Ino squinted. But when did Shikamaru change into that outfit? And why was there a backpack on his back?

"Shikamaru!" Ino shouted running up to her boyfriend and grabbing his arm.

"What the hell?" Shikamaru questioned glancing at her, "What are you going here, Hika?"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Shika, are you drunk? Just because you're an ANBU doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, you know? What am I going to do with you?" Ino asked dragging along a protesting Shikamaru.

After the festival, Naruto suggested they all go to the Ichiraku, which they all did.

"Shika-kun, what are you getting?" Ino asked, sitting on her stool.

"For the last time, I'm not Shikamaru," Shikamaru shouted.

"Why are you acting so weird, Shikamaru? Did you eat something spoiled?" Chouji asked slurping his ramen.

"Some genius you are, Shikamaru," Naruto commented, on his fifth bowl of ramen.

"I'm not Shikamaru, I'm…"

"Shiniko!" came a booming voice from behind them. "There you are!"

Everyone turned to face a young man, who looked just like…Naruto?

"It's about time you got here, Hino," stated the Shikamaru-look-alike.

Naruto choked on his ramen.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe they're enemy, only there using Henge no Jutsu," Lee said.

"Then they wouldn't have revealed themselves as fakes, now would they," Sasuke stated.

"Who are you?" Kiba asked.

"It doesn't concern you," replied another voice.

They all looked on with wide eyes as another look-alike appeared, this time of Neji.

"I told you it would work, Teji," Hino boasted. Even the guy's name was like Neji's.

"They have to be using Henge no jutsu, no one but the Hyuuga family has the Byuukagen," Neji stated, looking at Teji suspiciously.

"Reveal your true identities!" Naruto shouted, everyone now out of his or her seat.

"Why should we?" came an unemotional voice.

"Kami, why am I cursed?" Naruto asked looking at the Sasuke-look-alike.

"We can't tell you our names, but we can assure you, we're not your enemy," the Sasuke-look-alike.

Hino was mocking him with his hand. "Kami, Seiko, you sound as if this is a mission or something," he commented.

"Then maybe you should treat it as such," Seiko said dryly.

With a puff of smoke, Kakashi appeared before them. "Yo," he greeted.

"Not now, Kakashi-sensei, we're trying to figure out who these people are," Naruto told his old teacher.

Kakashi looked at the four newcomers with suspiciously. "What are your names?"

"None of your business," Seiko replied.

"Then in that case, we'll have to take you to Hokage-sama," Kakashi stated.

"Good luck with that," Teji said, smirking.

"Fine," Seiko said.

"Nani?" his three friends asked in disbelief.

"We have nothing to hide," Seiko told Kakashi and followed him, everyone else trailing behind. They also wanted to know what was going on. By the way, they caught up with Shikamaru on the way.

_So, how many of you can guess who these people are? Are they disguised? Well tell me what you thought of the prologue, please!_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	2. Mission

**Twee! An update for my first anniversary on fanfiction!**

**Sangai no jutsu**

"Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi questioned, poking the sleeping Hokage.

Tsunade mumbled something inaudible in her sleep and her eyes opened. "Huh?"

She looked at all the pairs of eyes staring at her and sat up. "What do you all want?" she asked, irritated.

Showing Tsunade the four look-alikes, Kakashi stated, "We don't know what to do with them. They won't tell us who they are. We came to ask your opinion."

Tsunade gazed at the four teenagers in wonder. "Henge no jutsu?" she questioned.

"Nope, I've already tried to release that and nothing happened," Kakashi responded.

Tsunade pressed her finger to her lower lip. "An advanced one, maybe? Maybe this is all Orochimaru's doing?" she questioned.

"I doubt it. What would his purpose be? They've already stated they aren't the real ones, so it would be pointless," Kiba said.

"Don't forget who we're dealing with. Orochimaru could have anything up his sleeve. Whatever it is, I don't trust them," Sasuke implied, looking darkly at Seiko, who gave him the same look in response.

"Tsunade-sama, pardon my intrusion, but I don't find them suspicious," Shizune stated.

Tsunade glanced at her. "I don't know," she said.

"Hokage-sama, I think Shizune here is right. We should give them a chance, you know, prove their loyalty," Kakashi implied on Shizune's behalf. "What village are you all from?" he asked turning to the teenagers.

"We are loyal to Konoha," Hino replied, pointing at his headband for emphasis.

"Good idea, Kakashi. You, Naruto-look-alike, you will work with Hinata's team," she stated pointing at Hino. (I know they aren't Genin anymore, but in my fic they insisted they stayed together on missions.)

"Why?" Hino asked.

"You have to prove your one of us," Shino answered.

Hino groaned.

"Neji-look-alike you go with…. are you an ANBU?" Tsunade asked Teji.

Teji shook his head. "I'm a Chuunin," he stated.

"Then you will go with TenTen, unless she has objections," Tsunade looked at TenTen.

"It's fine with me," TenTen stated.

"You are a?" Tsunade questioned Shiniko.

"Chuunin, planning to take Jounin exams soon," Shiniko responded.

"Then you can go with Ino, we'll have to keep an eye on you to see if you can take the Jounin exams. First you have to prove your worth," Tsunade told Shiniko then looked at Seiko. "I'm supposing you're Chuunin too."

Seiko scoffed. "I'm a Jounin for your information," he corrected.

Tsunade smirked. "Then you can go with Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. That way each team will have two Jounin, just in case," she stated.

"Hn," was Seiko's only response.

"He's really trying to pull of Uchiha's act, isn't he?" Neji questioned Lee.

Lee nodded. "Yeah and the scary part is, he's really good at it," Lee found this uncanny.

"Speaking of which, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Sasuke-look-alike…" Tsunade was cut off.

"I have a name, it's Seiko," Seiko stated gruffly.

"Fine then, anyway, you four have a mission," Tsunade finished.

"Oo, oo, what is it Tsunade-baa-chan?" Naruto asked excited.

"It's really dangerous, are you up for it?" Tsunade questioned, looking through her files of papers.

"Hai, hai," Naruto responded

"Yeah," Sakura said her inner-self cheering.

"Hn," stated Seiko and Sasuke at the same time. Sasuke glared at Seiko. He didn't like him one bit.

"Alright, I need you to gather any information that you can about Orochimaru and his whereabouts. It's been awhile since he's paid a visit, and that isn't like him. I'm sending Kakashi with you for safety reasons, any objections?" the Hokage asked staring at the four teenagers that shook their heads.

"Fine, you may leave then," Tsunade dismissed.

The four teens turned to leave and Tsunade whispered to Kakashi. "Keep an eye on that Seiko kid, and Sasuke," she said.

Nodding, Kakashi followed the teens.

"Now, for the rest of your missions, Hinata and her team, you also have a special mission," Tsunade announced.

"Yosh!" Hino shouted.

Outside the Hokage office, the old team seven and their newest recruit were listening to Kakashi's instructions. "We'll probably be gone a few weeks so you should pack enough for that amount of time. If you hurry quickly, we can get going. We'll meet at the exit of the village, got it?" Kakashi asked and received stiff nods.

After Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke parted, Kakashi looked at Seiko. "Aren't you going to pack?" he asked.

"I'm already packed," Seiko responded simply and headed to the gate.

Kakashi watched as he went. "Strange guy," he said and 'poofed' to his house.

An hour later, they all arrived at the spot.

"Let's go then, shall we?" Kakashi questioned.

"Yosh!" Naruto shouted running the trail ahead of them.

Since she was standing between the two, Sakura noticed the tension between Sasuke and Seiko. She bit her lip and decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, Seiko-san, how old are you?" Sakura asked.

"Eighteen," Seiko answered plainly.

Sakura blinked. "The others look much younger than that," she stated.

"They are," Seiko said not even glancing in her direction.

"Oh." Sakura was going to speak again when Sasuke pulled her to his side.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned gazing into his dark orbs.

Sasuke leaned forward to her ear. He was so close Sakura could feel his hot breath tickling her ear. "Sakura, keep your distance from this guy, I feel a strange aura from him. Promise me you'll stay close by myself or Naruto, I don't trust him," he whispered.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura was interrupted.

"Promise me," Sasuke repeated.

"Hai, Sasuke-kun, I promise," Sakura said and Sasuke let go of her, scowling deeply at the on-looking Seiko.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme! Look-alike of Sasuke-teme! Hurry up or we'll leave you behind!" shouted Naruto, him and Kakashi half a mile in front of them.

Sasuke grabbed Sakura's wrist and ran up to them dragging Sakura along, leaving Seiko in the dust. Seiko just scoffed and ran up to them himself.

_Okay, here's another chapter! Yea! Tell me what you thought!_

_Please Review!_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	3. Seiko, friend or foe?

**Sangai no jutsu**

Three hours into walking they decided to take a break.

Sakura sat on a log near the lake to catch her breath. Crouching over she filled up her canteen. She saw another person sitting beside her. Seiko, she knew instantly.

She sat up hastily.

"Did _he _tell you to stay away from me? Figures," Seiko stated, Sakura instantly knew he was talking about Sasuke. "The loser."

_Slap! _Sakura's face flushed in anger as she slapped the boy. "_Never_ talk about _my _Sasuke-kun like that," she yelled and left with a huff.

Seiko touched his red cheek and smirked.

Sakura mumbled and saw Sasuke leaning against a tree.

Sakura's eyes bugged out. _'Did he see me hit Seiko for insulting him?'_ she asked herself, blushing. **'Hell yeah! We so kick ass!' **Her Inner self tried to reassure her. Not that Sakura ever listened to what she had to say.

Sasuke smirked smugly at her and walked over to where Naruto was sitting and Kakashi was reading his book, Sakura trailing behind.

"Can we go now?" Naruto questioned looking at the two of them.

Kakashi's eye drifted from his book. "Where's Seiko?" he asked.

"Right here," Seiko replied appearing next to the tree.

"Then let's go," Kakashi stated, everyone once again walking at an according pace. At the rate they were going it would take thema few weeks to reach the Sound.

**That night**

Sakura found herself unable to sleep under the night's sky so she shifted positions in her sleeping bag, facing a slumbering Sasuke. He had his eyes clenched tight and sweat on his face. He was making slight cries into the night. _'Must be having a nightmare,'_ Sakura told herself. It happened to Sasuke a lot. The pink-haired kunoichi put a hand on his cheek and the Uchiha tensed. His eyes slowly fluttered open and he clasped her delicate hand in a reflex. His breathing slowing, he let go of her hand.

"Sasuke-kun daijoubu?" Sakura questioned in concern.

Sasuke gave a stiff nod. "Go to sleep, we have a long day ahead of us," and with that said, he turned onto his side away from her.

"Oyasuminasai (1) , Sasuke-kun," Sakura said and closed her eyes but they opened right back open when Sasuke whispered, "Oyasuminasai, Sakura." Sakura fell to sleep with a visible smile on her face. Making sure she was asleep, the emotionless male ran his fingers through the cherry blossom's pink locks.

Little did he know a pair of black eyes was watching him.

* * *

Sakura let out a big yawn, the sun shining in her face. She sat up from her sleeping bag. 

"Konichi-wa, Sakura-chan," Naruto stated and Sakura replied with a small wave.

Rubbing her eyes, Sakura reached into her pack and brought out a brush, gliding it over her soft locks.

"Can we go yet? It's already past sunrise," Seiko complained.

Sakura started to wrap up her sleeping bag and she set it in her backpack. "Let's go," Sakura stated, standing up. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi walked ahead but Seiko seemed to linger beside her.

Glancing back at them, Sasuke gave Seiko his death glare. "Come on, Sakura don't trail behind," he said shifting his gaze to Sakura. The girl of the team nodded and ran up to the three others. Seiko stayed behind them, keeping his distance.

"Kakashi-sensei, what do you think of him?" Naruto asked his former teacher.

"Who?" Kakashi questioned looking down at the blonde.

"Sasuke-teme-look-alike," Naruto answered.

"He doesn't look like me," Sasuke stated, his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, right. He's exactly like you, Sasuke" Naruto said rolling his blue eyes.

"Hn," Sasuke turned his head.

"Well, he doesn't seem too bad," Kakashi responded to Naruto's earlier question.

"I think he's hiding something," Sasuke implied, glancing over his shoulder.

"Don't fret too much, Sasuke," Kakashi told his ex-pupil.

"Maybe we should just give him a chance. We shouldn't judge him before we even get a chance to know him," Sakura suggested. **'Cha! Yeah right! He's a complete jerk!' **Her Inner self seemed to disagree.

"Tch, fat chance," Sasuke mumbled.

"But Sakura-chan, he's like Sasuke, so he isn't going to be exactly friendly," Naruto complained.

"That didn't stop us from being friends with Sasuke-kun, now did it?" Sakura questioned.

Naruto pouted. "I don't like this one bit, Sakura-chan. It's not only the fact he isn't very nice, it's just there's something weird about him," he stated.

"Well, Naruto, you're weird yourself, so you should get along just fine," Kakashi stated.

Naruto grumbled.

"At this pace, we should get to the village of Sound in aboutthree days," Kakashi calculated.

Sakura bit her lip. Inthree days, who knows what Sasuke and Seiko would do to each other? She knew one thing for sure: It wouldn't be pretty.

* * *

(1)- Good night 

_Gomen! This took me forever, I had exams at school and my nose was stuck in the books. Sorry for the wait! Happy Holidays everybody!_

_Please Review!_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	4. Tug of Sakura

**Sangai no jutsu**

Chouji engorged in his food while Shiniko grimaced in disgust.

"You know how unhealthy that is. Eating at such a rate, you'll choke one of these days," Shiniko commented as he slowly ate his own meal.

"That's Chouji for you," Shikamaru stated in his friend's defense.

Ino noticed the tension between the two. "I still find it odd, how you look just like Shika-kun, could you tell us why that is?" she asked.

Shiniko looked at her between bites. "That's confidential I'm afraid. Trust me, it's in your best interest that this remains a secret…at all costs. One slip…" he stopped in mid-sentence. "Never mind." He went back to eating.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "One slip and what?" he asked.

Shiniko shrugged. "One slip and you fall flat on your ass," he stated.

Ino laughed. "You've got that right," she proclaimed lightheartedly.

Shikamaru took a glance at the two of them lazily. He did not trust this guy. The Nara sighed. This was going to be troublesome.

"Anyway, back to the mission," Shiniko stated, brushing off his sense of unease, "I was thinking, since we're going to the Grass Village, we need to stay on guard for any attacks…"

Shikamaru cut him off. "Why should we do that? Konoha is in an alliance with Grass, or did you not know that?" This guy was getting even fishier.

Shiniko cleared his throat. "Of course I knew that…I was just…making sure you knew that. Yeah," he covered himself up.

"Ri-ight," Shikamaru said dryly.

Ino kissed his cheek gingerly. "Stop being so sour Shika. If you keep this up, you'll be even sourer when you get older, and I can barely stand you now," she joked punching him playfully on the arm.

* * *

"Wohoo," Hino said exasperated as he lye on the grass, his arms spread wide. "I thought that mission would never be over." 

Kiba took a seat on the lush field next to him. "I know what you're saying, man," he stated.

Shino examined a bug on a tree as Hinata smiled a small smile at her teammates. "I wonder w-when Naruto-kun and them will be back," she commented.

"If they get back," Kiba added.

Hinata's face fell.

Hino grinned widely. "They'll be back. In one piece or another. Seiko-teme doesn't go down too easily, he's too stubborn," he flexed his arms, "But he's nothing compared to me of course," he boasted gleefully.

Hinata's mood brightened and she nodded. "H-Hai, you're right."

* * *

"Yosh! Another mission well done my friends of youth," Lee announced as he struck his fist up in the air for victory. 

Neji and Teji rolled their white eyes in annoyance as TenTen shook her head.

"Lee, that's great and everything, but it was only B-Ranked, nothing too life threatening," she stated as they walked into the entrance of the leaf village.

"Yeah, don't you guys have anything more exciting?" Teji questioned.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, where I come from…uh, never mind. I'm just used to more fighting is all," Teji stated.

"And where'd exactly did you come from?" Neji asked tilting his head to look at the boy. Lee and TenTen did the same, not able to cure their curiosity.

Teji looked at the ground. "A place very much like here…only more war," he replied as he lifted his head to stare straight ahead.

The three teammates of team fourteen glanced at each other and shrugged.

* * *

Kakashi stopped in the middle of the road and closed his book. His four companions also halted and glanced back at him questionably. 

"Why'd you stop, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, scratching his temple.

Kakashi closed his visible eye. "Well, I've been thinking," he replied, his mask getting wrinkled, signifying he was smiling.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. What was he planning?

"About what, Kakashi-sensei?" the female questioned as she readjusted her pack.

"Maybe we should split up, to cover more ground," the eldest of the bunch suggested.

Naruto closed his eyes. "Why?" he asked, "What if we got ambushed or something, and one of us got injured, and the other couldn't hold their own and…"

"I think we get it," Seiko stated with a roll of his eyes.

Kakashi took out his book. "I think you can handle yourselves, except, if you're so unsure Naruto, you can come with me," he glanced at the other three. "Who wants to come with me and Naruto? We'll split up into two teams and meet in Oto. If in time of stress, we'll contact one another through flares."

"Let's go, Sakura," Seiko said demandingly as he grabbed the medic-nin's arm and began to pull her away.

Sakura blinked. "Nani?"

"Wait a second," someone else grabbed her other arm. Sakura was jerked into the middle of Sasuke and Seiko, each one clutching onto her limb.

"What's the problem?" Seiko questioned with a smirk.

"Who said she was going with you?" the Uchiha asked glaring at Seiko.

Sakura glanced at the two as Kakashi watched amused. Poor Naruto was confused with it all.

"I didn't know you wanted to go with her," Seiko defended, "I thought she was annoying to you, was I mistaken?"

"She is annoying," the avenger spat.

Sakura's eyes downcast. Even after she had trained so hard.

Seiko raised an eyebrow. "Then why can't she come with me?" he questioned.

"She is the weakest on our team. We don't know if we can even trust you yet, you could attack her when she had her back turned," Sasuke responded.

"You can't control her life," Seiko turned his gaze to the pink-haired teen, "Who do you want to go with?"

Sakura opened her mouth and then closed it and thought. "I…I don't care, as long as we get our mission accomplished," she answered, her heart knowing the real truth.

"I say she can come with me if it doesn't matter to you," Seiko stated pulling Sakura toward him.

Sasuke then tugged her in his direction. "I think not," he said in annoyance.

The two then began a game of tug-of-war, and Sakura was the rope.

"Guys, guys," Sakura said as her head jerked back in forth. "Would you please stop?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi. "I don't get it," he complained.

The Copy-Nin looked up from his book. "It's too complex for your mind to handle," Kakashi stated.

Naruto nodded in understanding until the words sunk in. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Meanwhile, two teens were still fighting over Sakura, her arms now bruised.

All of a sudden, Seiko smirked mischievously and held his hands up in defeat, Sakura falling onto Sasuke as she was let go. The Uchiha sat her up straight. He cleared his throat in embarrassment at his previous actions. He had let his possessive side get the better of him. "Let's go, Sakura." He turned on his heel.

The cherry blossom nodded and the two of them took off toward the right at the fork in the road. She blushed and watched Sasuke's back as he trudged in front of her.

'_He fought over me. Over ME!' _she thought in excitement.

'**Shannaro! Love conquers once again,'** came the voice of a squealing Inner Sakura.

"Bout time that was settled," Naruto announced as he stretched his arms behind his head.

Kakashi took a glance at Seiko, who was watching Sasuke and Sakura as they walked. "So, why'd you fight for her anyway?" he asked.

Seiko glared at the older man and shrugged. "I have my reasons," he responded as the three of them took the left side of the road, heading off on their own journey to Sound.

* * *

_Sorry it took me so long, guys. I can be such a procrastinator sometimes. It won't happen again, I hope! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!_

_Please leave your comments, they motivate me to write more!_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	5. Tsunade's assignments

**Sangai no jutsu**

Neji sat on the grass as TenTen rested her head on his lap. It had been another day of training.

TenTen looked lazily up at her fiancé. She smiled gently and placed a hand upon his cheek, which he grasped.

Just then Neji looked up from his gazing at the surrounding forest. "We have company."

Just as he said that, Teji came through the trees. "There you guys are…oh," he paused as he saw the display of affection,blushing in embarrassment, "Oops, sorry for interrupting, I'll just…tell you later, yeah." He turned to leave.

"What is it, Teji?" Neji asked as he stroked TenTen's cheek.

"Oh, um, Hokage-sama just informed me that she wanted to speak with us, but it can wait I'm sure," Teji responded, his back still turned.

"It must be important," TenTen stated as she stood up, Neji in pursuit.

"Let's go then. We wouldn't want to keep her waiting," Neji added as they began to walk behind Teji.

As they walked, TenTen felt Neji intertwine their fingers. She smiled softly at him.

At the Hokage's office, they stood in front of Tsunade as she gathered her papers together.

"You wanted to see us, Tsunade-sama," TenTen said to her idol.

Tsunade glanced up. "Yes, I did. I know you just got back from your last mission, but I need some of my top ninjas, and you qualify for that post," she started.

TenTen blushed at the compliment from the person she admired so.

"What is the assignment, Hokage-sama?" an excited Lee asked. His teeth shined with their normal, freeky glimmer.

"I'm needing you to go to the Earth Country. There are suspicions that the Tsuchikage may be in contact with Orochimaru. Reasons are unknown.I need you to spy, seek information, anything you can to gather the data. We have one man who is in close relation with the Tsuchikage I especially want you to speak with," Tsunade showed them a paper with a man's profile on it. "His name is Juchi Fehn, he transferred from Konoha to the Earth Country when we were still in alliance with them and they needed the help in their war against Ame. Seek him out. Is your mission clear?" She placed a hand on her chin with her elbows placed on her desk.

"Hai," the four replied in unison.

"Good, then head out," Tsunade said, and thus another mission was started.

* * *

Hino slurped a bowl of ramen at the Ichiraku. 

"Yum! This is the best taking ramen I've had in awhile," he stated as he held his bowl up for more. "Another miso!" Then quietly added, "Please."

Ayame served him more and the ramen owner smiled. "You're the only person, besides Naruto, who eats this much," he commented.

"Add to the fact you look like him too," Ayame added, "Is that just a coincidence or…"

Kiba running up cutting her off to them.

Hino glanced at him through his eating. "Yea?"

"Meeting with Hokage-sama," Kiba announced out of breath. Akamaru barked excitedly at his side.

"Yosh! Finally, some real action," Hino hurried to finish the rest of his soup noodles and ran to the Hokage building, Kiba in pursuit.

"Oi! What about the bill?" the ramen owner yelled. He sighed. "He is just like that Naruto, so idiotic," He turned to start stirring more ramen.

* * *

"Aaachooo," the mentioned-blonde sneezed loudly. He sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his jacket. "Sensei, when are we going to get there?" He complained. 

"It's going to be awhile, Naruto," Kakashi answered, his gaze not leaving his beloved book.

"Ahh," Naruto whined. "But it's so boring."

"Yes, that may be, but just imagine all the fighting we may receive in return," the Jounin implied.

Naruto's face went into an all out grin and he ran ahead. "In that case, let's get going," he shouted. "Come on sensei, Seiko, action awaits us!"

Seiko just stood there, his hands in his pockets, a grumpy look on his face with irritation written all over it.

Kakashi kept walking. "Naruto, get back here," He called out then sighed. "I swear, does this boy ever run out of energy?"

He took a glance at Seiko. "Come on, let's go," Kakashi said then mumbled, "I'm getting too old for this babysitting." Then they ran after the hyperactive ninja.

* * *

Shikamaru yawned as his group leaped from tree to tree, inching nearer to the Grass Country. He glanced behind him. Ino was talking away with Shiniko freely. Shiniko didn't seem to mind either. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Who was this guy? Why did him and his friends just appear out of nowhere? Why….ugh, all this thinking was hurting Shikamaru's head. "Mendo kuse," he muttered his infamous line. He just couldn't wait for this mission to be over and done with. 

Chouji crunched on a bag of chips. "Shikamaru, when are we going to get there?" he questioned through munches.

The lazy Jounin sighed. "We should be there soon, Chouji," he answered his friend.

"Yosh," Chouji responded.

At least this mission wouldn't be too difficult. All they had to do was converse with the Kage of Tsunade's plans, which she had put in a scroll. A scroll that the team was forbidden to open under any circumstances, and to not let anyone get their hands on it. What was that woman planning that could be that important? Shikamaru scratched his head. It was too troublesome to think about, he'd just have to find out later.

* * *

Tsunade took a large drink of her sake and then eyed the next contenders. She stared sternly and started with, "Okay, we're going to start this with a little story, for background information, alright?" 

They nodded their heads and Hino asked loudly, "It isn't going to be sappy is it?"

Kiba snickered.

Tsunade shook her head. "Just listen," she demanded and began, "You all know Yamato, correct?"

Hino shook his head but the others gave a nod.

"He was that ANBU guy who was Naruto and them's leader on the mission to retrieve Sasuke 'cause Kakashi was unable, right?" Kiba spoke.

"Correct," Tsunade stated, "Well, you see, it all started when Orochimaru was still a respected ninja within Konoha, though hard that may to believe. He carried out experimental gene therapy on sixty of thevillage's children. Orochimaru desired to gain my grandfather's, the first Hokage's, powers to control for his own. Gaining tissue from the Shodai Hokage, he infused the genes on the children. Orochimaru, though, soon left and never saw the fruit of his work. All but one of the children died, and that child was Yamato," she explained thoroughly, telling the story to the tee.

Hino squinted his eyes in confusion. "And this has to do with our mission because...?"

The Godaime looked at him. "If you'd let me finish, we'd get to that," she said irritably, "It has been rumored that their was another child he infected, not known to the rest of the Konoha village. This is where our problem arises, we do not know where he may be. His age should be in his mid-thirties. And this is the only profile we could find of him as a boy. His name is Eira Uggi," She set down a picture of a boy with brown hair and sparkling blue eyes and gazed down upon it, "The parents had reported his disappearance years ago, but a body was never found. We figured it was incinerated, but now we figure otherwise." She looked up at the teens. "I'm sure you understand the importance in this mission, and I have utmost trust in your success. But still, this task is a tricky one, are you willing to accept?" Tsunade asked, expecting hesitation. She blinked in susprise as she glanced at Hino.

His hands were clenched at his side and his cerulean eyes gleamed. His hand formed into a fist and he struck it into the air. "Of course I accept," he announced, "This is a once in a lifetime deal. So it'll be tough, no sweat, nothing's too tough when you put your mind to it, right guys?" He turned to his temporary teammates who were staring at him blankly.

Silence arose in the air.

And the timid Hinata was first to break it. "H-He's right."

Kiba grinned. "Well then, it's settled. If Hinata thinks we'll manage, then we for surely will," he stated with pride, and Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Let's get started then," Shino said as he walked over to Tsunade's desk and grabbed the profile. "Mind if we take this?"

Tsunade smiled. "Go ahead. Now, off with you all, then. No improvement comes with wasting time," she dismissed the team.

After they left, the blonde muttered to herself, "How'd I end up with such great subordinates. They're all a great bunch of kids," she stood up and gathered her papers, finished for the day.

* * *

Sakura and Sasuke walked along their own path. The kunoichi slowly trailed the stoic Uchiha. All had been quiet since they had started four hours back. She sighed to herself. Maybe it would have been better for her to go with Naruto and Kakashi, at least they held decent conversation. 

_'This is Sasuke,'_ she reminded herself, _'What else can you expect?'_

He was usually never this quite, but maybe that was because he had always had Naruto to bicker with senselessly. The pink-haired girl blinked. This was the first time she would spend this much time _alone_ with Sasuke. There was no Kakashi, and no Naruto either. Just her and him. Him and her. Sakura shook her head. _'I'm just putting my hopes up again. Nothing's going to change between Sasuke and I just because we're going to spend some time together. Who am I fooling?'_ As much as she told herself so, she couldn't help but dream she could change her and Sasuke's relationship together for the better, where at least he could talk to her casually like he did with Kakashi and Naruto. Maybe he would finally be able to consider her a friend. Maybe...just maybe. Ugh, Sakura hated 'maybes.' They were never definite, never a for sure.

"Sakura."

The stern voice brought her out of her musings and she blushed, noticing that she had been so zoned out, she hadn't noticed Sasuke talking to her. He had stopped in mid-step and was staring at her, a few mere feet away.

**'Great, you really screwed it up for us now, good going,' **Her Inner self complained.

"Y-Yes, Sasuke-kun?" was all she could sputter.

Sasuke looked at her irritably, annoyance etched in his face. "I asked if you needed to rest, you're trailing behind," he stated.

Sakura shook her head furiously. "No, I'm fine, Sasuke-kun," she said and walked up so she was standing next to him.

Sasuke placed his hands in his pockets as they continued their journey once more.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke as she stepped in tempo with his pace. He was staring ahead.

The medic sighed smiled. _'This is actually pretty nice, just walking with Sasuke like this. It's better than nothing,' _she thought, _'And add to that, he hasn't called me annoying once yet.'_ And to Sakura, that meant the world.

* * *

**Sorry this may seem rushed! Microsoft Word decided to die on me, and I had to upload the document half-finished and finish it while editing, so sorry if there are a few typos. Hopefully this is a little longer than my previous chapters, which I noticed are rather short. I just felt I needed to get this out, and I apologize if it doesn't seem well thought out, I'm kind of just going with the flow. The twists and turns should be starting soon though, so hopefully that's good news. And I was reminded by AndreahTreole that I was neglecting NejiTen so that explains the beginning! Sorry if it isn't that great, NejiTen is one of my fav couplings, but is still new for me to write myself. So this author's note is mostly an apology on this chapter. I hope to update sooner than last time, because I was crammed with tests last month, and still am because finals are coming up, but I'm trying to balance my time!**

**_sasuke fanatic1_**


	6. Allies No Longer

**Sangai no jutsu**

"Is he in sight?"

TenTen sighed in exasperation. "Yes, he's still sitting at the counter of the place, he just received his first glass of sake," she whispered into the small microphone clipped to her shirt. She sat at a table in a far away corner, but close enough to see the bar area, where Juchi Fehn sat on a stool. "Why do I have to do this again? Why didn't we just come up and talk to him, you know, like normal people?"

"This isn't going to be a normal conversation, TenTen, that's why. This is very important," she heard the voice of Lee.

"Besides, it's not like four ninjas can just walk up to someone and say, "We know the Tsuchikage is in conspiracy with Orochimaru, tell us all you know." Teji's voice came.

"And a girl is far more trusting. All you need to do is wait for him to get a little drunk, and ask a few questions," Neji stated grumpily.

"Yeah, and use that seducing voice," Lee chimed in.

TenTen almost choked. "What the hell do you mean by that?" she refrained herself from causing a scene by yelling.

"You know, the one you use with Neji sometimes," Lee replied.

"What are you talking about?" Neji's voice came into play.

"I heard you two talking one time when you thought you were alone, and boy, you guys have some erotic conv…" Lee was cut off.

"Lee! That's enough," TenTen almost barked, her teeth gritting. Her face was a deep crimson.

Someone cleared their throat. "Ahem."

TenTen looked sharply up at the person and her eyes widened. An older replica of Juchi Fehn was standing right in front of her. _'Please guys, don't say another word,' _she only wished she could send this message to her team.

Juchi had a small blush across his nose. "Um, excuse me, miss," he started, his voice polite and gentle, "But, I was wondering, if you'd like a drink, on me of course."

TenTen smiled gently. This opportunity was too perfect. _'Thank you good looks,'_ she thought to herself smugly. "I'd love that," she replied, standing up.

They took a seat on the stools by the bar.

The bartender came up to them. "What can I get you two?"

"Two ji-birus please," Juchi replied and the bartender nodded to get their beer. Juchi turned to TenTen. "I hope that's okay with you."

TenTen contemplated the situation for a moment. _'Oh boy. Well, I'm close enough to 20, just a few more months,'_ she thought to herself with a sweatdrop. "Yes, that's fine." _'Though I've never had a drink in my life.'_

"I don't think I've seen you around before," Juchi started the conversation, "A traveler?"

TenTen nodded. "Just passing through," she answered.

"Where are you from originally then?" Juchi asked.

"Ano…" _'Should I tell him the truth? It's not like he'll know who I am or anything.' _"I'm from Konoha," TenTen answered.

Juchi raised an eyebrow. "Really? I've been there once or twice myself," he took a drink of the alcohol they had just been given. "Tsunade is your Hokage, am I correct?"

Another nod. "Correct," TenTen stated. "She's had the spot for almost six years now. She's been a very good influence for our village." She then grabbed her own drink, closing her eyes as she took a small sip. _'Hm, not too bad,' _TenTen told herself as she smacked her lips and took another sip.

Juchi gazed at his drink. "I see."

TenTen looked at him. She couldn't bring up the Tsuchikage just yet; he had only had a sip of his drink. She took another swig of her own. This may take a while.

Juchi took another chug from his drink. "What's your rank?" he questioned.

"Jounin," the weapon mistress replied, then added, "I'm planing to go for ANBU soon."

"I see," Juchi remarked. "Then you must be here for a mission." He eyed her suspiciously.

TenTen contemplated for a moment. _'Tsunade-sama trusted this guy, so maybe he'll just come out and tell me, it'll be a lot easier on me that way,'_ she looked at him. _'But what if he's traded sides?'_

She could really use a second opinion. But, since one was not provided, she decided to take it safe. "I have a mission in Lightening Country. Tsunade-sama told me to speak with the Raikage," she came up with.

Juchi replied with an, "Oh."

TenTen drank more of her ji-biru. "Yeah, I just decided to stop for a rest."

"But, then, where's the rest of your team?" Juchi questioned suspiciously.

TenTen's breath caught. _'Come on, think fast,'_ she told herself and then a calm expression came to her face. "They decided to stay at the hotel, they're not much fun."

A smirk reached Juchi's face. "You're a pretty good liar, I'll give you that much," he stated.

TenTen's eyes widened. _'How'd he know?'_ she thought and reached for her holster on her leg.

Juchi then chuckled. "Hey, no need to get hostile. I'm not going to kill you or anything," he proclaimed.

TenTen narrowed her eyes. "You're not?" What was this guy planning?

"No, I'm not…TenTen is it?" Juchi glanced at her in question.

"How do you know that?" TenTen questioned, ready to call for backup at any second.

"Tsunade-sama told me," the man responded casually.

TenTen froze and slunk back in her seat. "She told you we were going to be here? Then, why didn't she question you herself?" she questioned with a raise of an eyebrow.

Juchi glanced around the room cautiously before speaking again. "All she said was the 'my relatives' were visiting, and she said your names," he stated in a low tone.

"Your relatives?" TenTen repeated.

He whispered under his breath, "All of our mail is read by the Tsuchikage's officials, Tsunade couldn't even put her name on the letter, she spoke in code mostly. Why don't we talk elsewhere, where we can't be heard?"

TenTen nodded. "Let me retrieve my teammates first," she said as she turned the microphone on and spoke into it, "Guys, get in here. Pronto."

"What's the matter?" came Neji's voice.

"Apparently, Tsunade-sama told him of our coming here, there's no need for us to be secretive," TenTen explained.

There were a few mumbles, and then the three males walked in.

Juchi smiled. "Why don't we all go to my place an talk," he suggested and placed the money on the bar before standing.

Neji gave him a distrusting look but the others nodded and they walked out into the night. All was silent as they walked, besides the voices of those passing by and the pitter patter of their feet.

Upon reaching his apartment, they all took a seat, save Neji who stood, leaning against the wall. Juchi poured himself a glass of wine. He looked up at his quests. "Want any?" He offered.

TenTen, Teji, and Neji shook their heads but Lee's eyes brightened and he nodded eagerly.

"No, Lee, you know how you get with alcohol," TenTen scolded and Lee whined a second before pouting.

"So, what information do you need?" Juchi asked, taking a drink.

"Exactly what your Tsuchikage's up to, and conspiracies with Orochimaru, perhaps?" Neji questioned.

"My, my, but aren't you just straight to the point," Juchi swirled his glass before continuing, "Of course, I will tell you. My allegiances are still to Konoha, Tsunade was smart about that. The Tsuchikage is in cahoots with Orochimaru."

"Why? What does he get out of it?" Lee asked, his interest piqued.

Juchi shrugged. "The Tsuchikage doesn't trust me _that _much, lad. But I know it's happening. Why, I don't have a clue. I can't help you there," he answered, "Is that all you came for?"

Teji nodded. "We were told to get whatever you knew and report promptly to the Hokage," he replied.

"So, excuse us, Juchi-san, but we must take our leave and tell this piece of information to Tsunade-sama," Lee pardoned them as they got up to leave.

Neji stayed put for a second as Lee opened the door. "You coming Neji?" TenTen asked turning to look at her fiancé.

Neji's eyes narrowed at Juchi. "Is that all we came to know? Anything else you have to say?" he asked suspiciously.

Juchi chuckled. "Very persistent of you. I was wondering if one of you would ask," he glanced at the teens, "There is something else you should know."

"And what may that be?" TenTen inquired.

"That Tsuchikage isn't the only Kage on Orochimaru's side," Juchi stated solemnly, "I think you should rely that message to Tsunade. Get along now, don't keep her waiting." He waved a hand for them to leave.

The team looked at each other and headed out the door.

As they headed down the path to the journey back to Konoha, they spoke.

"What's going on with these villages? They ought to know better," TenTen stated her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hai, that is true, TenTen. But we don't know the whole story behind it now do we?" Lee questioned.

TenTen sighed. "I guess that's true."

"This is just the beginning," Teji mumbled, Neji glancing at him upon hearing his words.

"What do you mean by that?" The Byakugan user questioned.

Teji shook his head. "Nothing. Never mind. Just forget I said anything."

"But you did say something. You said it was just the beginning. The beginning of what? What exactly do you know about…" Neji was cut off.

"Neji, stop badgering the kid," TenTen instructed firmly.

"He knows something, TenTen, I know he does," Neji retorted.

"You're just being paranoid, as usual," the weapon mistress pointed out.

Neji growled and let it go. Now we know whom the dominant one in this relationship is.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shikamaru and his team were learning what Juchi meant by his words.

The Grass Village was certainly not acting like any allies of Konoha. The minute they entered the outside area, they had been ambushed.

The only one prepared had been Shiniko, who cunningly got them out of one raid, but now they were in another.

"Shinranshin no Jutsu," Ino performed, her body falling into Shikamaru's arms and he set her down. Ino, now in the body of the enemy, attacked the other nins unexpectedly.

Keeping an eye on Ino's body as she massacred other nins, Shikamaru watched as a ninja turned his back. "Kage Kubi Shibari," the Nara muttered, the shadow forming into a hand, suffocating the unsuspecting Grass Nin.

Chouji held up his own as well. "Baika no Jutsu," he grew in size to wear the enemies looked like ants. He easily got rid of the ninjas that dared get into his way.

Shiniko was just using hand-to-hand combat to fight off anyone in his path, kunai flying everywhere.

Ino, now in her own body, came up from behind a nin, stabbing him in the back. His body tensed, as he fell to the ground. "We shall prevail," the nin muttered his last words.

Now there was only one Grass ninja left standing. He backed himself into a tree as the four walked toward him.

"P-Please, don't kill me!" he begged.

Chouji and Shikamaru exchanged glances before looking back at the man. The lazy genius took a step forward, pressing a kunai to the man's neck. The man gazed at him in fear, having seen what these Konoha ninjas were capable of as they killed of his fellow ninjas. The man was actually a teenager, Shikamaru observed, and a young one at that. _'Probably still a Genin,' _he added in his thoughts. No wondered he was frightened. Kunai still pressed to the boy's neck, Shikamaru spoke, "Why are you against us? Weren't Konoha and the Grass allies? Speak now."

The boy gulped.

"Answer me," Shikamaru demanded his eyes hardening.

"I-I really don't know," the boy croaked.

"Are you lying," Shikamaru pressed the kunai tighter to his throat.

"Shikamaru," Ino said softly, "He's just a kid."

"It doesn't matter, Ino," Shikamaru spat eyeing her. "If he knows something, I'm going to get it out of him, and he'll tell me," he glanced at the boy, "That is, if he values his life."

"I don't know anything, honestly I don't. I was just following Daimyou-sama's orders, to kill any Konoha nin before they entered the premises, that's all I know," he whispered painfully. "I'm telling you the truth."

"Why should I believe you?" Shikamaru questioned, his eyebrows raising, but his grip loosening.

"I think he's telling the truth."

Shikamaru looked at Shiniko.

"I mean, why should we not believe him? We have his life in our hands. Obviously, the Grass is no longer our friends, but our enemy. What more do we need to know? We should report this to the Hokage, as soon as possible, instead of toying with this boy," Shiniko explained, and turning his back.

Ino placed a hand on her chest. "He's right, Shika, let him go," she mumbled to her boyfriend. The genius thought a second, before putting his kunai down, and jumping into the trees, his teammates following in pursuit.

* * *

_And so the plot thickens. Remember to review! Later guys, I hope it was a good read._

_**sasuke fanatic1**_


	7. What now?

**Sangai no jutsu**

They were on the outskirts of the Moon Village.

Kakashi was reading the eleventh volume of Icha Icha Paradise, Naruto was whistling cheerfully, and Seiko kept his hands in his pockets as they walked. They had been traveling for a few days now.

Naruto placed his arms behind his head. He took a glance up at Kakashi. "Are we gonna stop and eat? I'm starved," he complained as his stomach let out a low rumble.

Kakashi closed his book and sighed. "I suppose, okay with you?" he looked over to Seiko, who shrugged in response.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "I see a ramen stand in the distance. Datteboyo!" he snickered gleefully. "Ramen, ramen." He kept muttering as he ran ahead.

The two left behind kept their walking pace, and by the time they reached the stand, Naruto was on his second bowl of miso.

The owner of the stand smiled at the two. "Welcome to the Strudel, would you like something to eat?"

After placing their orders, Kakashi and Seiko took a seat on two stools.

"I'd say it should take us around another two days to reach the Sound at this pace," Seiko commented.

Kakashi nodded. "Sakura and Sasuke should be there by tomorrow, their path is much shorter."

"Do you think (slurp) they'll be okay till we get there?" Naruto questioned through eating. "I mean, is Sasuke reliable enough? Sakura-chan's strong and all, but we are dealing with Sound ninjas."

"They'll be alright, you have to have faith in them," Kakashi commented, his bowl of ramen being placed before him.

Naruto thought for a second. "But, won't the Sound re-"

"They'll be fine," Kakashi insisted, pulling his chopsticks apart to start eating. He slid his mask down and Naruto looked sharply at him. He grinned and set down his chopsticks to watch the man closely. _'Sasuke and Sakura are missing out. I'm going to be the first to see Kaka-sensei's face! Datteboyo,' _He was far passed excited. Each passing second, with the mask slowly sliding down, Naruto could hear his heart pounding. His face dropped. "Eh?"

Kakashi had only slid his mask down to slip in his noodles, his mouth hidden behind them, his mask then going back in place.

Naruto's head fell in disappointment. Would Kakashi's face forever be one of life's great mysteries?

"Sasuke and Sakura can take care of themselves," Kakashi continued. "Those two work well together."

Seiko broke apart his own two chopsticks as he listened to the two converse, a small smirk appearing on his face. _'Yeah, more than you two know. You don't know the half of it. But you'll know soon enough.'

* * *

_

Hino looked over the profile again. "So, his name's Semashi Aiko?" he questioned.

"That's what it's says doesn't it?" Shino replied as they continued their search. This was their third village they had checked. They had spoken to every councilman in every village that could possibly know the whereabouts of a person, but so far, there was nothing to be found. Now, they were in the small Waterfall village, having already gone through Cloud and Rain.

"This is impossible, he could be anywhere, Tsunade-sama should had at least _some_ information before she sent us scouting around. This could take us years," Kiba complained grumpily, annoyed at their unsuccessful progress.

"Kiba, I'm sure Hokage-sama knows what she's doing by sending us here," Hinata insisted timidly, her eyes still searching the premises.

"Kiba's right," Shino said with a sigh, "This could take us a very long time. If only we had a scent of the guy, we could find him in no time then."

"However long it takes, we're still going to do it," Hino stated, his arms crossed.

Hinata smiled softly. "It's not going to take as long as you think," she chimed in.

The three males turned to her. "What makes you say that?"

"Look over there," she pointed to the crowd.

And looked they did. The man she pointed out fit the description. Chestnut hair, cerulean eyes, the same crooked chin, and the unmistakable mark coming from his earlobe to his cheek. They all looked to the profile and then back at the man.

Kiba smiled. "Good job, Hinata," he consoled.

They scrambled to the man, him glancing at them strangely as they blocked his path. "May I help you?"

"Semashi Aiko?" Kiba questioned the man's blue eyes widening. "I'm taking that as a yes. It's about time we found you."

The four grinned. Mission accomplished.

* * *

That night, Tsunade rubbed her temples and took a drink of wine. _'I wonder how they're all doing.'_

All of the missions she had sent them on were vital to her plan, she hoped all was going well.

"Tsunade-sama!"

Her eyes traveled to the door as Shikamaru and his group hurried in, Shikamaru in the lead.

"Eh? Did you receive the scroll already? You've only been gone two days," The Godaime questioned. She didn't think it would take too long, but she hadn't expected them back this soon. Something must have gone wrong, she could feel it.

"I'm afraid not. It was an ambush, a conspiracy" Shikamaru explained through heaves of breath.

Tsunade quirked a brow. "What do you mean? It was a trap?" She should have known, Daimyou never had anything good up his sleeve.

"Hai, the Grass is by no means our ally. We had to fight off at least half of their ninja," Ino reported pushing back a strand of her hair.

"I see. Are you all alright?" Tsunade questioned, examining the ninjas.

"Just a few scratches and bruises," Shiniko answered fingering the mark he had received across his cheek.

"I still want you four to be checked out. Dismissed," Tsunade had things to contemplate.

"Awesome, hospital food," Chouji said gleefully as they walked out. The other three just rolled his eyes at him.

Tsunade groaned. What else could go wrong with this?

Shizune glanced at her worriedly. Her sensei would go through at least three bottles of wine tonight. She sighed, she might as well go get it. Shizune left, carrying TonTon, to leave the Godaime to think of what news she had just received. As she opened the door, four other people ran into the office, forcing her to retreat to the side of the wall.

"What now?" Tsunade questioned looking up wearily at the forms of Neji, TenTen, Lee, and Teji. "Did you meet up with Juchi?" The Godaime hoped for a good result, but with their entrance, she doubted it without comprehension. The Hokage took another long swig of her wine before saying, "I'm listening."

"We did meet up with Juchi, and he told us some interesting things," Neji started. "The Tsuchikage is indeed plotting with Orochimaru."

Tsunade remained passive. She saw that one coming already, that was old news.

"But that's not it, Tsunade-sama, Juchi said that that wasn't the only Kage involved with Orochimaru's plan, and he couldn't obtain more information than that," Lee finished all that him and his comrades had been told previously.

Shizune sighed. "I'd better make that six bottles," she mumbled and walked out of the office.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Dismissed," she promptly told the teens, giving them a wave of her hand. This information changed her whole outlook on this mess. She couldn't figure it out. _'What is he up to?'_ she thought to herself, then rolled her eyes. _'What **isn't** he ever up to?' _

"Um, is this a bad time Tsunade-sama?"

What was up with all of them coming back at the same time? "Come in," she ordered promptly.

So, the next four emerged, another figure in tow. Tsunade smiled in relief. At least one thing had gone right tonight. "You managed to find him pretty quick," she stated, looking over the brown-haired man. "Good work. If you don't mind, though, I would like to talk to him alone."

The four nodded, Hino punching his hand into the air triumphantly, and uttered a familiar word to all of them. "Datteboyo!"

"Semashi Aiko I presume," she looked at the man before her, who nodded shyly.

"Tsunade-sama," he said courtly.

"Let's cut to the chase, were you…"

"Infused with the first Hokage's genes? Tsunade-sama, I figured you knew that much before sending after me. But, I'm sorry to tell you I know nothing, I have no information to give you. I haven't ever been in contact with Orochimaru," Aiko explained in earnest. "I'm no use to you."

Tsunade's eyes fell. "I see. Sorry for disturbing your life by having them drag you here."

"No problem. It's only a small journey back home," he bowed. "Sorry I couldn't have been of any assistance. I wish you the best of luck." He left, shutting the door behind him. Tsunade nodded, she was going to need luck to pull out of this one.

And that was it, she had nothing. All that planning had gone to waste. Ever detail she had taken account for had backfired right in her face. Tsunade was back at square one.

She knew one thing that was for certain: she'd need backup, it was time she paid Jiraiya another visit. Orochimaru was being hasty about something, something that would have to involve Konoha. How could it not? Tsunade bit her fingernail. Now all she had to figure out was what he was going to do, and Naruto and his group should be able to give her those answers, presuming everything went smoothly there.

Sakura trotted behind Sasuke. So far, the traveling had gone smoothly, with them only stopping for much needed sleep, roughing it out by sleeping on the grass. It was getting dark again, hopefully they'd camp soon.

* * *

"Hoo, hoo."

Sakura jumped at the sound and clutched to Sasuke's arm. The wind blew, the trees howling an eerie sound. Shivers ran up and down Sakura's spine.

"Are you scared?"

Sakura looked up at Sasuke, who was smirking down upon her. She released him hastily. "No, of course not," she huffed. So she was a little spooked, it was no big deal. They were nearing Sound now after all, why shouldn't she be scared?

There was a rustle in the bushes, and a creature emerged. "Eep!" Sakura squealed, throwing herself over to Sasuke, clutching his arms and her face buried in his shoulder. She peeked out with one eye, and a sweatdrop formed in the back of her head. It was a bunny, hopping along the road. **_'We were scared of a rabbit? Yeah, that'll sure impress Sasuke-kun,'_** Her Inner Self never seemed to help her any. She glanced up to see Sasuke shaking his head, trying to hide a smirk.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little frightened," The kunoichi mumbled, letting go of him once more.

"A little frightened?" Sasuke repeated, mocking her. "You're terrified."

Sakura crossed her arms. "Just because I'm a little spooked doesn't mean I'm terrified, Sasuke-kun."

"Sakura, you're shaking," Sasuke stated, referring to her arms.

Sakura rubbed her shivering arms. "Just a little cold is all," she countered. It was a little chilly outside. "Sasuke-kun?"

"What is it?" the avenger asked.

Sakura blushed. "Do-Do you think we could maybe stay at a hotel tonight?" she averted her gaze to the ground. "I mean, it's pretty cold tonight and…"

"You don't want to be out here. You're scared something bad will happen since we're so close to reaching the Sound Village?" Sasuke questioned knowingly.

She bowed her head. "Yeah."

"I wouldn't let anything happen to you, you know," The Uchiha said, crossing his arms.

"I know that," Sakura covered quickly. "It's just…"

"Unnerving?" Sasuke finished.

The kunoichi nodded.

Sasuke sighed. "Alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. We should be able to find one somewhere. Come on," he motioned her to follow him, and Sakura complied.

They walked a few minutes in silence, Sakura remaining close to Sasuke. They soon reached a small village, one neither were familiar with.

"Here," Sasuke announced, stopping in front of a building.

Sakura looked it over and nodded. It looked quaint enough; it would suit her liking. "This looks fine," she stated, walking inside.

The receptionist at the front desk welcomed them. "Welcome to Fala Inn," she looked over them. "Do you need one or two rooms?"

Sakura blushed as Sasuke answered, "One will suffice."

"Ah, let's see," the woman pressed her fingers over a group of keys. "Is it just for tonight or…"

"Just for tonight," Sasuke answered.

"Alright then, that'll be 150 yen," the receptionist stated, and Sasuke set the money down.

Sakura glanced at him. "I could've paid for it," she mumbled. She didn't want Sasuke to pay; it had been her suggestion to stay there after all.

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke replied shrugging.

The receptionist grabbed a set and gave them to Sasuke. "Here you go. Have a nice evening now. Your room is five rooms that way to the left," she instructed.

"Arigato," Sakura smiled, Sasuke leading the way to their room. As Sakura stared at his back, her eyes widened, another blush forming on her cheeks. _'In a hotel room, alone with Sasuke-kun.' _She gulped.

Her Inner Self squealed. **_'What are you talking about? This is the best thing that's ever happened to us. Just don't screw it up!'_**

Yeah, hopefully, she wouldn't make a complete fool of herself. Hopefully.

* * *

_Wohoo! I squeezed the next chapter out of me. Hope you tell me what you thought of it._

_sasuke fanatic1_


	8. Contemplating

**Sangai no jutsu**

Naruto set down his ramen bowl as he slurped on the remains of the noodles. "Ah, that was great," he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Kakashi nodded in agreement, and Seiko just set down his chopsticks. He reached into his pack, setting down his share of the money as Naruto and Kakashi did the same.

"Come back again," the owner said as the got up to leave.

Naruto waved back at him as he walked backwards. "Ne, Kaka-sensei, when are we going to rest?" he asked, arms placed behind his head.

"You always have something to complain about, don't you Naruto?" he questioned, gazing down at his former pupil.

Naruto let out a yawn in response and turned to face the right direction.

The Copy Nin sighed. "Pretty soon, as soon as we can find a good place to rest," Kakashi answered, reading his book.

The blonde male let out a small pout before trudging along two paces in front of them.

Seiko glanced at the moon. 'If my calculations are correct…' he let his thoughts wonder, and then a face of displeasure formed upon him.

"Something wrong, Seiko?" Kakashi questioned, peering at the boy from over his book.

Seiko shook his head. "Just thinking was all." The thought itself was very disturbing.

"How about over there?" Naruto asked, pointing to a clearing. "Is that place good enough?"

Kakashi took a look for himself at the meadow, the river flowing near it. "Yes, Naruto, this place will do. Now we can set up camp and get a good night's rest in."

The three of them walked to the clearing, and Naruto fell plop down on his back, placing his backpack beneath his head. Kakashi took a spot on a branch in a nearby tree, still engrossed in his book.

Seiko took a seat near a rock. He wasn't all that tired yet. Sighing, he threw a couple of rocks into the water_. 'Everything is going according to plan. If we keep this up, we'll succeed. But, will they all be willing to…? What if they figure us out?'_ Seiko contemplated_. 'I guess we'll just have to wait and see how everything turns out.'_ He threw another rock, crushing one that was placed in his other hand_. 'But damn, do we have enough time to wait? Since we've been gone, who knows what all could have happened.'_ Frustrated, the teen ran a hair through his raven locks with a groan._ 'And with us being here, who knows what could have all changed? One slip and it's all over.'_ He looked up at the starry sky._ 'We only have one chance to make this work, there is no room for error.'_

Not all of them would be getting much sleep that night.

* * *

Shikamaru laid himself down on his roof, gazing at the stars._ 'Mendo Kuse,'_ he thought to himself._ 'A betrayal from an allied village is bad enough, but why do I feel it's just going to get worse?'_ He sighed._ 'What a bother.'_

"Shika-kun! Are you up here?" he heard a voice call and looked to see his girlfriend jump up, smiling softly at him. "Hey there."

Shikamaru grumpily asked, "What is it, Ino?"

Ino took a seat next to him, hugging her legs to her chest. "Just seeing how you were doing."

"You just saw me not all that long ago," Shikamaru reminded her.

"I know, but you seemed to be thinking pretty deeply, and that's something you rarely do," she placed her hand on top of his. "What's the matter?"

Feeling her fingers stroke his hand, the lazy Jounin answered, "I have a bad feeling."

"Uh huh. About what may I ask?" Ino pressed.

Shikamaru sat up. "I'm not too sure, but I know it has to do something with the Grass' betrayal. Those boy's words, they can't be good news."

"Don't let him get to you. He probably just wanted to get under your skin," Ino poked his nose, "And he succeeded."

Shikamaru removed his hand from hers, stuffing both of his hands into his pockets as he stood up. "I don't think that was it," he muttered.

Ino gazed up at him. "Then what do you think it could mean?" she asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I haven't figured it out yet. But what I do know is," he glanced down at her. "It very well could be life-threatening."

Ino wrapped her arms back around her legs as she shivered. "Oh."

"And what about that Shiniko boy? I don't trust him one bit," Shikamaru stated, his tone menacing.

Ino raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Because there's something about those four boys that irk me to no end," Shikamaru replied.

The kunoichi rolled her blue eyes. "You're just being paranoid, Shikamaru. Sure, it's weird that Shiniko looks like you, but I think he's harmless. Tsunade-sama trusted them to be put on missions with us, so I think we should trust her intuition."

Shikamaru thought for a second. "I guess, but she's not always right you know."

Ino sighed. When her boyfriend even bothered to think, it always ended up being too much. She stood up and wrapped an arm around his shoulder from behind him. "Everything's going to be alright," she told him.

"I wish I could believe that," Shikamaru murmured.

* * *

A certain Hyuuga was thinking along the lines of the same thing. "I don't think we should take this lightly, TenTen," Neji said as he leaned against the post, his fiancée practicing her already 100 accuracy on targets that were placed outside their home. She doesn't land a single hit in one battle because of a girl with a huge fan and the weapon mistress has yet to let it down. Neji found it quite amusing. 

"I hear what you're saying, Neji," TenTen spoke as she closed one eye to get the bulls-eye in view, "But I think we should let Tsunade-sama handle it. She isn't the Hokage for nothing, you know."

Neji narrowed his white eyes. "We should still give some thought into it, not dismiss it as if nothing is wrong," he argued darkly.

"You're right. We can't say that nothing is conspiring in the mists of everything, all I'm saying is that we should wait for Tsunade-sama's order. Let her tell us what to do about it. We shouldn't let ourselves assume the worst. Besides, we've been in tough binds before, and we made it out alright," the brunette woman countered, throwing a kunai that landed the same as the rest, right on the bulls-eye. She walked over to the Byakugan master, taking a swig of her water before closing the lid. Then she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"But…" TenTen placed a finger on Neji's lips before he could speak anymore.

"Stop worrying about it, you need to relax. All this stress will give you wrinkles," TenTen teased. "And I don't want you to shrivel up just quite yet." She gave him a wink for better measure and removed her finger from his lips.

Neji scoffed and rolled his eyes. "We wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?"

TenTen shook her head. "Nope," she flicked his nose, "And if it did, you'd have to borrow Tsunade-sama's youth scrolls. There's no way I'd marry a man who had wrinkles before he hit his middle-aged crisis." She poked him in the chest.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I will stop worrying about it," Neji said, raising his arms in defeat. TenTen raised a brow at him. "I promise."

TenTen patted his cheek with a smile on her face. "Good boy."

* * *

Shiniko stretched his arms and yawned as he stared at the ceiling from his bed. The Hokage had given him a room to stay at, a place to crash after the mission. 

He was just about to close his eyes and snooze when he heard a knock on the door and a loud, "Are you in there, Shiniko?"

Shiniko sighed as he got up. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He opened the door to reveal Hino and Teji. He looked down the hall. "Is Seiko not back yet?"

Teji shook his head. "The Hokage said it'd be awhile until he got back."

"Can we come in?" Hino questioned with a grin.

"Don't you have your own places to go to?" Shiniko asked as he stood back to let the two in.

"Yeah, but I thought it'd be good to discuss all that's happening, even if Seiko isn't here yet," Teji replied as Hino nodded in agreement.

Shiniko took a seat on his bed as the others found a chair. "I see. So what did you two find out?"

"Not much. We just found this guy with the powers of the first Hokage, and he didn't help us at all. I don't think he has any major part," Hino started the explanations.

"We met up with a man, who told us that the other villages have turned their backs on Konoha," Teji stated, his arms crossed.

Shiniko glanced at him. "Same here. So it has begun," he sighed in exasperation.

"What should we do about it?" Hino questioned looking at his two friends.

Teji shrugged. "There isn't much we can do, not yet anyway," he answered.

"So, we just wait," Hino said scratching his head.

"That's all we really can do, for now," Teji stated.

Shiniko nodded. "Naruto-tachi's mission should reveal to us what we need to know to further the plan, until the, we'll just lay low," he suggested as the other two nodded.

* * *

Sasuke placed the key into the lock, opening the door to the room. Walking in, Sakura followed him in pursuit. 

Her eyes wandered throughout the room. A crimson blush came to her face. _'There's only one bed,'_ she thought to herself, taking a glance at her companion, _'The receptionist must of thought we were,'_ Sakura gulped._ 'a couple.'_ She could feel her insides burning thanks to the adrenaline running through her. "Sasuke-kun…"

"There's a pullout couch, I'll take it," Sasuke's stoic voice said as he set down his backpack on the side of the couch.

Sakura stammered. "B-But, the bed is more comfortable, and you paid for the room," she insisted, once again feeling like a burden to him.

"The couch will suffice," the avenger stated.

The kunoichi decided it was the end of that discussion, she didn't like arguing with Sasuke. Nodding, she planted her pack on the ground, and plopped down on the bed, stretching her arms across the mattress.

She heard the creak of the couch, signifying Sasuke had taken out the bed. The lights turned off soon after.

Sakura smiled and stifled a yawn. "Oyasuminasai," she muttered as her eyelids slid down.

"Aa."

Sakura turned to her side, trying to get comfortable.

"He has to be around here somewhere."

Sakura jumped at the sound of voices outside in the hall.

"Orochimaru-sama said that they should be around here." It was another voice.

Sakura sat up, pale in the face. She turned her gaze to see Sasuke standing up, his eyes narrowed.

"Sa-"

"Sh," Sasuke held his hand up for silence, walking toward her slowly. He took a seat at the side of the bed.

"What's going on?" Sakura questioned in a whisper, her eyes full of worry.

"Those two are looking for us," Sasuke replied, his eyes steadied on the door. "I've met them before. One of them has the power to sense exertions of chakra, the other can see through objects, such as walls." His eyes turned to her.

Sakura gulped, the voices were getting closer.

"Don't worry, we'll find them."

"How did they know we were heading to Sound?" the medic questioned.

Sasuke shrugged. "Orochimaru must have found out somehow. It doesn't really matter."

Sakura could feel her heart pounding. "Do you think they're checking every room?"

"Most likely," the Uchiha answered.

"They'll notice you for sure," Sakura whispered.

Sasuke nodded. "And if I used Henge, one of them would sense it, so that's not an option."

What were they going to do? _'Think of something, Sakura. If they catch you, everything will be ruined.'_

"Have we checked this room?"

"I don't think so."

Sakura turned her gaze to the door, then to Sasuke. There was only on thing she could think of doing to save them. Taking a deep breath, Sakura stood up.

Sasuke looked up at her questionably. _'I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. Please forgive me for this.'_ Before Sasuke could ask her what she was doing, Sakura placed her lips on his in a sweet kiss, pushing him down onto the bed. Sakura's hands entangled themselves in raven locks to hide his hair, as Sasuke wrapped his arms around the girl.

"Is he in there?"

"No, it's just a couple of lovebirds."

"Let's get out of here, he's obviously not here."

"Yeah."

Sakura's thoughts cheered in relief as she heard steps moving away from them. 'It worked!' She removed her lips from Sasuke's and was about to get up and apologize wholeheartedly to Sasuke. But before she had the chance, the Uchiha flipped them over so he was the one on top, crashing their lips together again.

Sakura's eyes widened. Sasuke, the only one she could ever love, was willingly kissing her! Her heart fluttered as her Inner self squealed in delight.

'What are you waiting for? Kiss him back, stupid!'

Passion and longing filling her, kiss him back she did. She didn't know what possessed him to do what he was doing, but she wasn't about to complain. His hands found their way up her shirt, drawing small designs as he headed up. Sakura shivered at his every touch, her whole body setting aflame.

She allowed his tongue entrance to her mouth, her tongue moving to meet his.

Throughout the night, she also gave him permission to take off her clothes, his following in pursuit.

* * *

_(blushes) I'm sure you can guess what happened. I'm not all that great at the kissing scenes and everything, since I don't have experience at all in that area, so I hope they weren't all that bad. Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter, please review! I was so happy that I had over 100! I've never gotten that many before! You guys are the best! Ugh, fanfiction was facing problems otherwise I would have had this up a day earlier. (pouts in a corner)_

_sasuke fanatic1_


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